The Journal of the Catfish Study Group (UK) In this issue ing Moth Cats of the genera Hara and Erethistes By Steven Grant Breeding Hara jerdoni By Adrian Taylor Spawning Misadventures By L Quilty '• Corydoras zygatus By Yann Fulliquet On the validity and identity of some species of Synodontis By Steven Grant Volume 4 Issue Number 2 June 2003 CONTENTS 1 Committee 2 From the Chair 3 The identity of Moth Cats of the genera Hara Blyth, 1860 and Erethistes Muller & Troschel, 1849 by Steven Grant 9 My observations of breeding the Moth Cat Hara jerdoni by Adrian Taylor 11 Spawning Misadventures - A lesson learned by L Quilty 12 Corydoras zygatus by Yann Fulliquet 15 On the validity and identity of some species of Synodontis Cuvier, 1817 (Siluriformes: Mochokidae) by Steven Grant Articles and pictures can be sent by e-mail direct to the editor ; <bill @catfish.co.uk> or by post to Bill Hurst 18 Three Pools Crossens SOUTH PORT PR9 BRA (England) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Front Cover: Original Design by Kathy Jinkins. June 2003 Vol4 No 2 HONORARY COMMITTEE FOR THE CA1fF,Sft SlffiOF C&Ofl. (ffllfl 2003 PRESIDENT AUCTION ORGANISERS Trevor (JT) Morris Roy & Dave Barton VICE PRESIDENT FUNCTIONS MANAGER Or Peter Burgess Trevor Morris [email protected] SOCIAL SECRETARY CHAIRMAN Terry Ward lan Fuller ian @corycats.com WEB SITE MANAGERS Allan James [email protected] VICE CHAIRMAN Danny Blundell COMMITTEE MEMBERS DANNY.BLU NO ELL @care4free.net Peter Liptrot [email protected] SECRETARY Temporarily lan Fuller SOUTHERN REP Steve Pritchard TREASURER S. Pritchard@ btinternet.com Temporarily: Danny Blundell DANNY. BLUNDELL@ care4free.net CATERING DEPARTMENT Mr & Mrs Morris and Mr & Mrs Ward MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Julian Dignal CAT CHAT EDITOR jools@ planetcatfish.com Bill Hurst bhurst@ catfish.co.uk SHOW SECRETARY Brian Walsh DISTRIBUTION [email protected] Ann & Danny Blundell ASSIST ANT SHOW SECRETARY SCIENTIFIC ADVISER Ann Blundell lsaac lsbrucker CAfCMAf The Committee of the CSG (UK) would like to thank the following advertisers for their support in the production of this journal BARLOW'S AQUATIC TRADING BRITAIN'S AQUATIC SUPERSTORE LTD ACCRINGTON BOLTON PIER AQUATICS MERMAID FISH IMPORTS WIGAN BROMSGROVE GBW JOINERY DARWEN From the Chair Welcome to this the second issue of this year's April: Unfortunately I was unable to attend this Cat Chat. meeting due to the effects of a bug picked up on I hope you are enjoying what we are putting in it. I the flight back from New York. The day's know I have said this before and will , without a programme consisted of three films of Amazonian doubt, say it again but if there is any thing at all expeditions which showed habitats, fish and some that you would like to see in the magazine , or very interesting fish activity. indeed something that you do not like about it May: 'A Visit to Venezuela' presentation given by please let us know. lt is important for us to know Membership Secretary, Julian Dignall. The talk, how you feel about what we are providing. with the aid of some excellent slides , showed March: Our traditional Spring Auction proved to many of the different habitats he and fellow be equally as successful as the Convention. In member and Cat Chat contributor, Shane Under, fact it was one of the most successful auctions we explored and the various methods and equipment have had for some time . I just love to see the used to catch fish. room packed full of people desperate to part with Till next time, happy Catfish keeping. loads of money. lan Fuller An Update Information Sheets for - A pictorial guide to Microsynodontis catfish A number of members have By Steven Grant asked for back issues of the Further to my article which appeared in Volume 3 Information Sheets. Issue 3 of Cat Chat, Heok Hee Ng had originally In response to this, it has been changed my 1999 identification of the 'Nyong syno' decided to compile a book of the as Microsynodontis batesii to what he said was an first 36 Sheets. undescribed species (captioned as Microsynodontis sp. 'Gabon' or sp. 'Nyong' in the The Information Sheets will be article). identical to those currently Heok Hee has since altered his opinion and has issued, with colour pictures and reverted back to my original identification which I line drawings but they will be had made in 1999. Therefore the fish captioned as loose-leaf in a ring binder. Microsynodontis sp. 'Gabon' or sp. 'Nyong' (on Prices have not been finalised page 9) should be regarded as the true but it is anticipated to be in the Microsynodontis batesii. region of £10.00. The fish captioned as Microsynodontis batesii in the article (on page 7) should now be regarded as Further details of how to order representing Microsynodontis christyi. your copy will be in the next issue of Cat Chat. Sorry for any confusion caused! 2 June 2003 Vol 4 No 2 The identity of Moth Cats of the genera Hara Blyth, 1860 and Erethistes Muller & Troschel, 1849 (Pisces: Siluriformes: Erethistidae) By Steven Grant Species of the above genera can be found from time Identification and validity of the genera to time in aquatic shops and on the show bench, but You can separate Conta, Laguvia and Pseudo/aguvia the identity of some of them is sometimes unclear. from the other three genera as the former have an Hopefully this article, which is a shortened and adhesive apparatus on their abdomen, which looks like updated version of Grant (1999a), should act as a small corrugations. Erethistoides are much more guide for their identification. laterally compressed than Hara and Erethistes. Also , Firstly, why are they sometimes called moth cats? the serrations on the outer edge of the pectoral fin Their resemblance to moths was first noted by spines in Erethistoides differ from Hara and Erethistes. Hamilton in 1822 when he described Hara hara, when In Erethistoides they point towards the base of the he remarked on the colour and pattern of the fins spine on the basal half, then they point towards the tip being similar to that of the wings of certain moths. on the distal half. In Hara, the serrations on the outer They are also sometimes called anchor cats due to edge of the pectoral fin spine all point towards the tip, their shape when viewed from above, but this is more whereas in the type species of Erethistes they are appropriate for Hara jerdoni. arranged in pairs of divergent denticles, one pointing towards the base the next towards the tip and so on. Familial placement To see the formation of the serrations in live fish you need to turn the fish on its back and hold it to the light. For many years they were included in the family Sisoridae but de Pinna (1996) re-established the family Hara has and sometimes still is considered to be a Erethistidae (first established by Sleeker in 1862), and junior synonym of Erethistes. De Pinna did not list any moved the following into it: features (except the above differences in pectoral fin spine serrations) that differed between Hara and Erethistes Muller & Troschel , 1849 Erethistes, out of the 112 physical internal and Hara Blyth , 1860 external structural characters that he used for Erethistoides Hora, 1950 comparative purposes. So in essence the only Laguvia Hora, 1921 difference between two is the pectoral fin spine Pseudo/aguvia Misra, 1976 serration formation. Is this enough to warrant separate Conta Hora, 1950 genera? We will have to see but for now they are classed as separate genera. Until my 1999a work was published most aquarists will have known them as sisorids, but they should be The species known as erethistids. Some ichthyologists still include Erethistes pusil/us (Muller & Troschel, 1849) - type them in Sisoridae but de Pinna's thorough work shows locality Assam that Erethistidae is warranted. In fact his work showed that the erethistids are physically more closely related to the banjo cats of the family Aspredinidae than they are Sisoridae. If one looks at the texture of erethistid skin, and the fact that it is shed; and also how they propel themselves through the water (by jet propulsion using an intake of water into their mouths then out of the gills, and also using the ventral fins as 'feet' to push forward), you can see why de Pinna's hypothesis is correct as these features are mirrored in Sometimes spelled pussi/us and the date quoted as aspredinids. He further divided Erethistidae into two 1845 in some publications. This fish is extremely subfamilies: Erethistinae for the first five listed above, similar in external appearance to some of the Hara and he erected a new subfamily - Continae - for the species (especially Hara sp. 1), and can only really be last genus. told apart by the generic differences mentioned above. 3 June 2003 Vol 4 No 2 The specimen in my photo is unusually fat and gives the wrong impression of the body shape. Also the tip of the top lobe of its caudal fin is missing. H. saharsai was differentiated from H. hara by the larger length of the pectoral fin spine in relation to the head length The type specimens were only small and this may account for this difference. lt has been classed as a junior synonym of H. hara but it if the type specimens are re-examined in greater detail, further comparisons may be made and therefore in the future it may prove to be valid. See under Hara sp. 1. Hara filamentosa Blyth, 1860 - type locality Size is usually given as 5cm but this appears to be Tennasserim .